Squats are mostly known as a leg exercise, but they promote body-wide muscle building by catalyzing an anabolic environment. Squats are also one of the best functional exercises out there; promoting mobility and balance and helping you complete real-world activities with ease.

Squats obviously help to build your leg muscles but they also create an anabolic environment, which promotes body-wide muscle building. In fact, when done properly, squats are so intense that they generate the release of testosterone and human growth hormone in your body, which are important for muscle growth and will also help to improve muscle mass when you train other areas of your body aside from your legs.

Prevent Injuries

Most athletic injuries involve weak stabilizer muscles, ligaments and connective tissues, which squats help strengthen. They also help prevent injury by improving your flexibility and balance.

For toned legs and butt

Squats target the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteus. The basic movement is a fast way to build lean muscle, which results in tight, toned limbs. We know it’s a myth that you’ll “bulk up” by lifting weights, so don’t be afraid to squat a challenging weight.

Maintain Mobility

Body-weight squats are a great way to increase range of motion in hips and ankles, which will help reduce lower back and knee pain. It’s a safe and effective way to improve mobility without taxing the joints.

Increase Functional Strength

Very few exercises are as natural as the squat. The squat builds pure, functional strength. Not only do they build huge amounts of muscle, the squat also forces your body’s nerve networks to work your muscles more efficiently.

Increase Sprint Times

Squatting allowed athletes to increase their sprint times by a significant degree. Squatting helped athletes run faster and jump higher, which is why this exercise is part of virtually every professional athlete’s training program.

Important Note – Don’t do squats if you don’t plan on using proper technique. This is how you injure yourself; this is how you get bad knees. Take the time to learn how to squat, and start by using only the bar with no additional weight. Only once you’ve mastered your technique should you begin progressing with weights.